1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a broadband wireless communication system. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for Admission Control (AC) considering a plurality of service providers in a broadband wireless communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Voice services have been a primary concern in the development of wireless communication systems. As communication technologies have advanced, various multimedia and data services, in addition to the voice services, are becoming increasingly important. However, voice-based communication systems have failed to satisfy user demand for multimedia and data services due to a relatively small transmission bandwidth and expensive service fees. Moreover, the development of communication industries and the growing demand for Internet services have resulted in an increased need for a broadband wireless communication system capable of effectively providing the Internet services.
In general, the broadband wireless communication system is constructed by considering a single service provider and a single physical network. However, with the growing number of users who request various services and with a demand for improved quality of contents of services provided through the physical network, a plurality of service providers intend to provide services through the wireless communication system. The plurality of service providers are expected to share a single physical network. Since the physical network comprises limited resources, the sharing of the single physical network by different service providers may result in unequal use of resources.
Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus and method for effectively distributing resources of a physical network (i.e., Access Service Network (ASN)) to a plurality of service providers.